Mobile's 'Dinosaurs' depart with a mighty roar

All wonderful things must come to an end, however, and the record-setting “Dinosaurs Downtown!” exhibit will greet its last visitors today at the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center. The Exploreum will be open Sunday from noon until 5 p.m. Sunday.

As of last week, approximately 85,000 have seen the 12 animatronic critters. An Exploreum news release states that 62 percent of guests are from Mobile or Baldwin counties, while 38 percent are from outside the metro area. (Those numbers often tilted the other way for previous touring exhibitions, but the economy was a little brighter then.)

On Tuesday morning the dinosaurs will be loaded onto two 18-wheel trucks and shipped back to Billings Productions’ warehouse in McKinney, Texas. The exhibit left quite a footprint in downtown Mobile. The opening weekend, for example, saw more than 4,005 visitors.

In January the science museum set a record with 324 new or renewed memberships, according to marketing and public relations director Hela Sheth. That number grew to 1,088 new or renewed memberships during the run of the exhibit.

“Dinosaurs” drew more than 37,000 students on field trips and was “100 percent booked” for dinosaur-themed birthday parties, Sheth says.

The Exploreum staff will not have a lot of time for dino-nostalgia. On May 1 the museum opens a new permanent exhibit called Explore TEC with the focus on careers in technology and engineering. The exhibit, made possible by a $500,000 grant from NASA, features 24 laptops that include state-of-the-art software, robotic instruction kits and a 3-D printer.

“No other science center in the country offers this level of engineering and technology programming,” Sheth says.

Coming soon: “Reptile Planet,” July 5 through Oct. 24, showcasing 30 reptiles from 20 countries; and “Sea Lion Splash,” Nov. 10-21, which will bring rescued sea lions to downtown where they will perform several times daily in the green space across the street from the Exploreum.

Until then, visitors can visit the museum’s Minds On Hall, Hands On Hall, the Wharf of Wonder and the high-tech “My BodyWorks,” an interactive health exhibit. Through May 28 the J.L. Bedsole IMAX Dome Theater will show “Dinosaurs Alive!” Starting May 29, the theater will show “Adventures in Wild California,” “Dolphins” and the marvelous MacGillivray-Freeman film “Everest.”

A FOND FAREWELL: Robin Fitzhugh, director of the Eastern Shore Art Center for more than a decade, will retire April 30. The Mobile native, a graduate of Spring Hill College, joined the art center as director in January 2000. On her watch, membership more than doubled and the art center has become a cultural leader within the Fairhope community.

“It’s been a great experience all the way around,” she says, citing the support of the ESAC board and the Eastern Shore community.

Among other projects, Fitzhugh oversaw expansion of ESAC during 2005-06 and renovation of the building in 2007-08. the center’s monthly “First Friday” artwalk has become a de rigueur event as new exhibits are opened to the public.

Eastern Shore Art Center annually hosts two major outdoor art shows highlighting regionally and nationally acclaimed artists and attracting more than 250,000 visitors each year. The center also hosts an ongoing series of changing exhibits showcasing the work of artists such as Casey Downing Jr., Nall, Bruce Larsen, Randy Moberg, Charlie Lucas and, most recently, Trés Taylor of Birmingham.

One of the art center’s most noteworthy accomplishments under Fitzhugh has been the development of its outreach programs led by Nancy Raia, who organized or created events such as the “Traveling Pants/Delta Denim” project.

Fitzhugh, who recently served as the center’s development director, says she will use this opportunity to enjoy more time with her family and grandchildren. Donna Dodson will become interim administrator.

Look for more on Robin Fitzhugh and the Eastern Shore Art Center in upcoming editions of Living Arts.